Collection: 15 local basketball stories from January

WILLIAMS BAY — Head coach Ryan Fritz knew his Williams Bay girls basketball team would be shorthanded in its Dec. 29 game against Heritage Christian.

With only nine girls on the roster, and two girls gone for the holidays, Fritz was left with a seven-player rotation—meaning little time for anyone to catch their breath.

After positive coronavirus cases caused a two-week shutdown of the Badger girls basketball team, head coach David Jooss knew his players would need to shake off the rust.

“You have some time off, don’t play for two-and-a-half weeks, it’s like your first game again,” Jooss said. “You get some of the kinks out in the first half.”

Big Foot’s girls basketball team hosted the toughest team in the Rock Valley Conference on Jan. 4 when Jefferson traveled to Walworth.

The two teams met up earlier in the year in Jefferson, with the Eagles winning by a 58-23 score.

After the Big Foot boys beat Badger on Dec. 28, they faced another Southern Lakes Conference team two days later, hosting Waterford on Dec. 30.

The Wolverines won 62-54.

WILLIAMS BAY — Ever since Palmyra-Eagle joined the Trailways Conference before the 2017-18 season, the Panthers boys basketball team has had Williams Bay’s number.

In the six meetings over the past three years, Palmyra has gone 6-0 against the Bay.

Sometimes no matter how well a shot is defended, it still goes in.

Big Foot learned that the hard way in a 53-52 loss at Whitewater on Jan. 11.

The Williams Bay girls basketball team headlined hoops action last week by winning for the first time this season.

Meanwhile, the Badger girls won a pair of games by wide margins and the Badger boys and Big Foot girls both lost.

When Elkhorn rolled into Lake Geneva on Jan. 15, the Badger boys basketball team had to face off against one of the most talented players in southeastern Wisconsin in Elks senior guard Jordan Johnson.

Despite Johnson’s impressive 37-point performance, Badger hung tough for most of the game, but Elkhorn pulled away late for a 66-56 win.

WILLIAMS BAY — A second-half scoring surge allowed the Williams Bay girls basketball team to erase a double-digit deficit against Fort Atkinson on Jan. 14.

But it wasn’t enough to clinch a win, as the Blackhawks picked up a 49-44 victory over the Bulldogs.

The Badger girls basketball team started the season shooting lights out from beyond the arc, but eventually the team was going to have a game where they missed from deep.

Luckily, Macie Todd was there to corral the missed shots.

WALWORTH — For the seventh year in a row, the Big Foot boy basketball players are the kings of the west end of Geneva Lake after the Chiefs defeated rival Williams Bay 77-64 on Jan. 18.

Much like the Chiefs’ 72-68 overtime win from 2019-20, this season’s game was a tight contest for most of the game. Unlike last year’s matchup though, the Chiefs were able to pull away late thanks in part to the players’ energy level.

Before the Big Foot and Williams Bay boys basketball teams met up on Jan. 18, both teams played at least two other games, while the Big Foot girls team played a three games.

Big Foot boys

Several local basketball teams had a strong week, but the Badger boys had the most satisfying as they won their first game of the season.

Badger boys

After the Williams Bay boys basketball team lost a rivalry matchup against Big Foot on Jan. 18, they didn’t have to wait long for another rivalry game.

The Bulldogs hosted Faith Christian on Jan. 22 and bested the Eagles 65-54.

WILLIAMS BAY — The Williams Bay boys basketball team is a talented, tight-knit group.

The Bulldogs have nine seniors, and most of them have played together on the varsity squad for the past three seasons.